Rubber-dam clamp



(No Model.)

0. A. MEISTER.

RUBBER D'AM CLAMP.

No. 485,963. Patented Nov. 8, 1892.

INVENTOH WITNESSES m/a az z @W A TTOHNE YS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN A. MEISTER, OF ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

RUBBER-DAM CLAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,963, dated November8, 1892.

Application filed April 28, 1892. Serial No. 431,048. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN A. MEIsrER, of Allentown, in the county ofLehigh and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented a new and usefulImprovement in Rubber-Dam Clamps for Dental Use, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention, which relates to clamps for holding a rubber dam inposition around a tooth, is more particularly designed as an in1-provement upon the clamp of this description for which Letters Patent N0. 465,716 were is sued to me December 22, 1891, and in which the clamphaving gripping-jaws united by a closing spring piece or portion at ornear their back ends, as usual in such devices, had its jaws providedwith separate fingers, either permanentlyattached or removable, arrangedto extend back of or beyond the closing-spring portion of the clamp foropening the spring clamp and adapting it to hold and release the rubberdam and to place the latter in position around an incisor and bicuspid,much more conveniently by direct manipulation through said fingers thanwas attainable through a separate and special forceps-like instrument aspreviously used.

The object of the present improvement is to provide for the raising andlowering of the one jaw relatively to the other in such spring clampsmostly used on bicuspids and incisors; and the invention consists in anovel construction of parts whereby this may be accomplished,substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly pointed outin the claims. The invention, however, is not restricted to anyparticular size or shape of the jaws on the rubber-dam clamps, as theseordinarily greatly vary.

Prior to describing my invention as illustrated in the drawings and thebetter to explain its use, or why I provide for raising or lowering theone jaw of the clamp relatively to the other, I would observe that in mypreviously-patented clamp hereinbefore referred to both the jawsprovided with rearwardlyextended fingers have been fixed onesthat is,neither gripping-jaw has been made capable of being adjusted up or downrelatively to the other, whereby much pain is often produced in applyingthe clamp. Thus, supposing the tooth to be operated upon has its labialor outside lower than its inside, then to hold such a tooth with easethe inside jaw of the clamp should be higher than the outside one; but,supposing the tooth to be operated on be higher on its labial side, tolit the clamp to the tooth its inside jaw should be considerably lower,and this my invention provides for by the adjustment or lowering of theinside jaw of the clamp, whereas if a dentist having such a tooth tofill uses a rubber-dam clamp not having a movable or raising andlowering jaw he pushes the clamp up above the cavity to be filled,regardless of the patients suffering, and pushes against the gum withthe inside jaw of the clamp. This torture or sulfering my inventionavoids.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents a view in elevation of a rubber-dam clamp having oneform of gripping-jaw applied to a tooth which has its labial side oroutside lower than its inside. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of saidclamp. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a similar rubberdam clamp havinga different form of gripping-jaw applied to a tooth which has its labialside or outside higher than its inside. Fig. 4 is a perspective View ofsuch clamp, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section upon the line 5 5 in Fig.4.

A indicates a rubber-dam clamp; Z2 Z), the jaws thereof, having theirgripping end portions of any suitable construction and shape and unitedat their back ends by a spring portion 0, which operates to force thejaws toward each other. Separate fingers b b are applied to the jaws ofthe clamp and extend backwardly beyond the spring portion or base a ofthe clamp any required distance or length to facilitate the opening andmanipulation of the clamp. These fingers may either be permanent orremovable attachments; but the one Z2 is shown as a permanent attachmentto the one jaw 12 by having its forward end passed through a perforationin the shank of said jaw and bent backward or clinched on the inside ofthe jaw 17, while the other finger b is a downward or backward extensionof the other jaw 19' and is passed in a longitudinally-sliding mannerthrough a bent lip d,

formed by a forward extension of the one side of the spring portion 0,and is longitudinally slotted, as at e, to provide for the adjustment ofthe jaw 19 up or down upon loosening a binding thumb-screw f that, whentightened up, firmly holds the jaw b at any required elevation, saidthumb-screw through means of the slot e, serving toi adjustably unitethe jaw b and its extension-finger b to the one side upward extension ofthe spring portion 0.

When this clamp is applied to hold a rubber dam g about or around atooth h, which has its labial side or outside lower than its inside, asshown in Fig. 1, then the inside jaw b is raised by the means alreadydescribed, above the outside jaw b; but when said clamp is applied tohold the rubber dam 9 about or around a tooth h, which is higher on itslabial side or outside than on its inside, then the inside jaw b islowered, as shown in Fig. 3, and the thumb-screw ftightened up. In thisway or by these means, the clamp may be conveniently used withoutproducing much or any pain on teeth of different kinds or of differentheights on their labial sides or outsides, as compared withtheir'insides.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In a rubber-dam clamp having grippingjawsunited by a closing-spring piece or portion in their rear, the jawsprovided with separate and attached fingers arranged to extend back ofor beyond the closing-spring portion of the clamp, and the one of whichwith its attached jaw is made adjustable in direction of its length upor down, essentially as specified.

2. In a dental spring dam-clamp of the character herein described, thecombination, with the fixed jaw I), having a rearwardly-extending fingerb and with the attached closingspring 0,0f the longitudinally-adjustableopposite jaw b, and its attached finger 19 in slotted and slidingconnection with said closing-spring, and a binding-screwf, adapted tohold said sliding jaw when adjusted, substantially as herein set forth.

CHRISTIAN A. MEISTER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM F. WEABER, JAooB H. BURGER.

